Nansemond Today
Today, the Nansemond have about 200 tribal members. As a "citizen tribe", they gained recognition by Virginia in 1984. The disruption of wars and loss of records in Virginia would make it difficult for them to provide the extensive documentation needed for Federal recognition. The current Chief is Barry "Big Buck" Bass.
They hold monthly tribal meetings at the Indiana United Methodist Church (which was founded in 1850 as a mission for the Nansemond). The tribe co-hosts an annual pow wow in June in Chesapeake, and has an annual pow wow every year in August. The tribe has also operated a museum and gift shops.
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“In times past there were rituals of passage that conducted a boy into manhood, where other men passed along the wisdom and responsibilities that needed to be shared. But today we have no rituals. We are not conducted into manhood; we simply find ourselves there.”
—Kent Nerburn (20th century)